The axon, which is interposed between the cell body and the synaptic terminals in most neurons, plays a crucial role in connecting neurons and acting as a conduit for the transmission of information ...
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The axon, which is interposed between the cell body and the synaptic terminals in most neurons, plays a crucial role in connecting neurons and acting as a conduit for the transmission of information between them. Axons have always been a favorite site for investigation in neuroscience. Axonology has moved ahead rapidly more recently. Molecular biology has provided new tools for studying the molecules that make up the axon and their associated glial cells. Increasingly powerful physiological techniques, together with immunocytochemical and immuno-ultrastructural methods, have facilitated a molecular dissection of the channels, exchangers, and pumps that are responsible for the functional properties of axons. The role of calcium in axonal function is now better understood and the complex dialogue between axons and glial cells that are associated with them now yield scrutiny. Such advances have applied not only to normal axons but also to their abnormal counterparts. Thus, the molecular and cellular events triggered by trauma, demyelination, and axonal injury in axons are being delineated, as the response of axons—and the cell bodies from which they originate—to injuries is studied in many laboratories. This book discusses, in close juxtaposition, various aspects of both normal and diseased axons. The book takes a multiauthored approach to this task.Less

The Axon : Structure, Function and Pathophysiology

Published in print: 1995-05-25

The axon, which is interposed between the cell body and the synaptic terminals in most neurons, plays a crucial role in connecting neurons and acting as a conduit for the transmission of information between them. Axons have always been a favorite site for investigation in neuroscience. Axonology has moved ahead rapidly more recently. Molecular biology has provided new tools for studying the molecules that make up the axon and their associated glial cells. Increasingly powerful physiological techniques, together with immunocytochemical and immuno-ultrastructural methods, have facilitated a molecular dissection of the channels, exchangers, and pumps that are responsible for the functional properties of axons. The role of calcium in axonal function is now better understood and the complex dialogue between axons and glial cells that are associated with them now yield scrutiny. Such advances have applied not only to normal axons but also to their abnormal counterparts. Thus, the molecular and cellular events triggered by trauma, demyelination, and axonal injury in axons are being delineated, as the response of axons—and the cell bodies from which they originate—to injuries is studied in many laboratories. This book discusses, in close juxtaposition, various aspects of both normal and diseased axons. The book takes a multiauthored approach to this task.

A Bayesian approach can contribute to an understanding of the brain on multiple levels, by giving normative predictions about how an ideal sensory system should combine prior knowledge and ...
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A Bayesian approach can contribute to an understanding of the brain on multiple levels, by giving normative predictions about how an ideal sensory system should combine prior knowledge and observation, by providing mechanistic interpretation of the dynamic functioning of the brain circuit, and by suggesting optimal ways of deciphering experimental data. This book brings together contributions from both experimental and theoretical neuroscientists that examine the brain mechanisms of perception, decision making, and motor control according to the concepts of Bayesian estimation. After an overview of the mathematical concepts, including Bayes theorem, that are basic to understanding the approaches discussed, contributors discuss how Bayesian concepts can be used for interpretation of such neurobiological data as neural spikes and functional brain imaging. Next, they examine the modeling of sensory processing, including the neural coding of information about the outside world, and finally, they explore dynamic processes for proper behaviors, including the mathematics of the speed and accuracy of perceptual decisions and neural models of belief propagation.Less

Bayesian Brain : Probabilistic Approaches to Neural Coding

Published in print: 2006-12-22

A Bayesian approach can contribute to an understanding of the brain on multiple levels, by giving normative predictions about how an ideal sensory system should combine prior knowledge and observation, by providing mechanistic interpretation of the dynamic functioning of the brain circuit, and by suggesting optimal ways of deciphering experimental data. This book brings together contributions from both experimental and theoretical neuroscientists that examine the brain mechanisms of perception, decision making, and motor control according to the concepts of Bayesian estimation. After an overview of the mathematical concepts, including Bayes theorem, that are basic to understanding the approaches discussed, contributors discuss how Bayesian concepts can be used for interpretation of such neurobiological data as neural spikes and functional brain imaging. Next, they examine the modeling of sensory processing, including the neural coding of information about the outside world, and finally, they explore dynamic processes for proper behaviors, including the mathematics of the speed and accuracy of perceptual decisions and neural models of belief propagation.

The hippocampus is one of the most studied structures in the human brain and plays a pivotal role in human memory function. It's recognized function is reflected by the presence of an extensive body ...
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The hippocampus is one of the most studied structures in the human brain and plays a pivotal role in human memory function. It's recognized function is reflected by the presence of an extensive body of neurophysiological, neuropsychological, anatomical, and neurocomputational literature that presents basic mechanisms, theoretical models, and psychological concepts. However, in the rapidly growing field of hippocampal research, the clinical aspects of diseases that affect the hippocampus are greatly under-represented, and clinical approaches and concepts are scattered throughout various clinical and basic scientific disciplines. This book explores clinical approaches to the range of diseases that affect the hippocampus. It brings together and reviews the common methods, clinical findings, concepts, mechanisms and, where applicable, therapeutic strategies for these clinical approaches. The clinical spectrum of hippocampal dysfunction encompasses a wide range of neurological, behavioural, and psychiatric symptoms and surpasses the ability to encode, store, and retrieve information. The relevance of hippocampal involvement in clinical diseases goes beyond mere neuropsychological deficits and includes psychopathological states in various conditions, such as acute amnesic syndromes, Alzheimer's disease, temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE), sleep, stroke medicine, limbic encephalitis, neurodevelopmental disorders, stress- and trauma-related disorders, depression, and schizophrenia.Less

The Clinical Neurobiology of the Hippocampus : An integrative view

Published in print: 2012-07-19

The hippocampus is one of the most studied structures in the human brain and plays a pivotal role in human memory function. It's recognized function is reflected by the presence of an extensive body of neurophysiological, neuropsychological, anatomical, and neurocomputational literature that presents basic mechanisms, theoretical models, and psychological concepts. However, in the rapidly growing field of hippocampal research, the clinical aspects of diseases that affect the hippocampus are greatly under-represented, and clinical approaches and concepts are scattered throughout various clinical and basic scientific disciplines. This book explores clinical approaches to the range of diseases that affect the hippocampus. It brings together and reviews the common methods, clinical findings, concepts, mechanisms and, where applicable, therapeutic strategies for these clinical approaches. The clinical spectrum of hippocampal dysfunction encompasses a wide range of neurological, behavioural, and psychiatric symptoms and surpasses the ability to encode, store, and retrieve information. The relevance of hippocampal involvement in clinical diseases goes beyond mere neuropsychological deficits and includes psychopathological states in various conditions, such as acute amnesic syndromes, Alzheimer's disease, temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE), sleep, stroke medicine, limbic encephalitis, neurodevelopmental disorders, stress- and trauma-related disorders, depression, and schizophrenia.

During the First World War many soldiers suffered brain injuries, mostly from gunshot wounds. The localized nature of these injuries made them of special significance for neuropsychological studies ...
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During the First World War many soldiers suffered brain injuries, mostly from gunshot wounds. The localized nature of these injuries made them of special significance for neuropsychological studies and they were the subject of research by British and German psychologists and neurologists working in military hospitals. The work carried out by Walther Poppelreuter in Germany is of particular interest. He was one of the first to design and use precise experimental methods for neuropsychological assessment and analysis. Poppelreuter was also one of the first to suggest a relatively specific processing of visual submodalities such as movement, depth, form, and colour in the prestriate areas. Much of his practical advice on the management of patients is still of value. Anyone concerned with brain injuries, especially of the occipital lobe, can still benefit from his contribution. This translation makes this classic now available to a wider audience.Less

Disturbances of Lower and Higher Visual Capacities Caused by Occipital Damage : With Special Reference to the Psychopathological, Pedagogical, Industrial, and Social Implications

W. Poppelreuter

Published in print: 1990-11-29

During the First World War many soldiers suffered brain injuries, mostly from gunshot wounds. The localized nature of these injuries made them of special significance for neuropsychological studies and they were the subject of research by British and German psychologists and neurologists working in military hospitals. The work carried out by Walther Poppelreuter in Germany is of particular interest. He was one of the first to design and use precise experimental methods for neuropsychological assessment and analysis. Poppelreuter was also one of the first to suggest a relatively specific processing of visual submodalities such as movement, depth, form, and colour in the prestriate areas. Much of his practical advice on the management of patients is still of value. Anyone concerned with brain injuries, especially of the occipital lobe, can still benefit from his contribution. This translation makes this classic now available to a wider audience.

Dyslexia research has made dramatic progress since the mid-1980s. Once discounted as a “middle-class myth,” dyslexia is now the subject of a complex—and confusing—body of theoretical and empirical ...
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Dyslexia research has made dramatic progress since the mid-1980s. Once discounted as a “middle-class myth,” dyslexia is now the subject of a complex—and confusing—body of theoretical and empirical research. This book provides a uniquely broad and coherent analysis of dyslexia theory. Unlike most dyslexia research, which addresses the question “what is the cause of the reading disability called dyslexia?” the work presented here addressed the deeper question of “what is the cause of the learning disability that manifests as reading problems?” This perspective allows the text to place dyslexia research within the much broader disciplines of cognitive psychology and cognitive neuroscience and has led to a rich framework, including two established leading theories, the automatization deficit account (1990) and the cerebellar deficit hypothesis (2001). The chapters in this book show that extensive evidence has accumulated to support these two theories and that they may be seen as subsuming the established phonological deficit account and sensory processing accounts. Moving to the explanatory level of neural systems, they argue that all these disorders reflect problems in some component of the procedural learning system, a multi-region system including major components of cortical and subcortical regions. The authors’ answer to the fundamental question “what is dyslexia?” offers a challenge and motivation for research throughout the learning disabilities, laying the foundations for future progress.Less

Dyslexia, Learning, and the Brain

Roderick NicolsonAngela Fawcett

Published in print: 2008-06-13

Dyslexia research has made dramatic progress since the mid-1980s. Once discounted as a “middle-class myth,” dyslexia is now the subject of a complex—and confusing—body of theoretical and empirical research. This book provides a uniquely broad and coherent analysis of dyslexia theory. Unlike most dyslexia research, which addresses the question “what is the cause of the reading disability called dyslexia?” the work presented here addressed the deeper question of “what is the cause of the learning disability that manifests as reading problems?” This perspective allows the text to place dyslexia research within the much broader disciplines of cognitive psychology and cognitive neuroscience and has led to a rich framework, including two established leading theories, the automatization deficit account (1990) and the cerebellar deficit hypothesis (2001). The chapters in this book show that extensive evidence has accumulated to support these two theories and that they may be seen as subsuming the established phonological deficit account and sensory processing accounts. Moving to the explanatory level of neural systems, they argue that all these disorders reflect problems in some component of the procedural learning system, a multi-region system including major components of cortical and subcortical regions. The authors’ answer to the fundamental question “what is dyslexia?” offers a challenge and motivation for research throughout the learning disabilities, laying the foundations for future progress.

Epilepsy is one of the most common disorders of the brain, and these patients often suffer from memory problems. There are a number of reasons for this: seizures can directly affect the brain in ways ...
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Epilepsy is one of the most common disorders of the brain, and these patients often suffer from memory problems. There are a number of reasons for this: seizures can directly affect the brain in ways that disturb memory; epilepsy often results from trouble in brain regions closely linked to memory; the treatment of epilepsy can affect memory; epilepsy can cause psychological problems, like depression, which interfere with memory. This book reviews all aspects of the relationship between this common and potentially serious neurological disorder and memory, one of the core functions of the human mind. The chapters review the history of the subject; the clinical features of memory disorder in epilepsy; neuropsychological, neuroradiological, neuropathological, and electrophysiological findings; the roles of anticonvulsant side effects and psychiatric disorder; and the scope for memory support and rehabilitation. The study of patients with epilepsy has revealed much about the workings of memory, yet there has been no recent review of this field of research. This book aims to this gap.Less

Epilepsy and Memory

Published in print: 2012-06-28

Epilepsy is one of the most common disorders of the brain, and these patients often suffer from memory problems. There are a number of reasons for this: seizures can directly affect the brain in ways that disturb memory; epilepsy often results from trouble in brain regions closely linked to memory; the treatment of epilepsy can affect memory; epilepsy can cause psychological problems, like depression, which interfere with memory. This book reviews all aspects of the relationship between this common and potentially serious neurological disorder and memory, one of the core functions of the human mind. The chapters review the history of the subject; the clinical features of memory disorder in epilepsy; neuropsychological, neuroradiological, neuropathological, and electrophysiological findings; the roles of anticonvulsant side effects and psychiatric disorder; and the scope for memory support and rehabilitation. The study of patients with epilepsy has revealed much about the workings of memory, yet there has been no recent review of this field of research. This book aims to this gap.

This book studies the organization of the white matter pathways of the brain. The book analyzes and synthesizes the corticocortical and corticosubcortical connections of the major areas of the ...
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This book studies the organization of the white matter pathways of the brain. The book analyzes and synthesizes the corticocortical and corticosubcortical connections of the major areas of the cerebral cortex in the rhesus monkey. The result is a detailed understanding of the constituents of the cerebral white matter and the organization of the fiber tracts. The findings from the thirty-six cases studied are presented on a single template brain, facilitating comparison of the locations of the different fiber pathways. The summary diagrams provide a comprehensive atlas of the cerebral white matter. The text is enriched by close attention to functional aspects of anatomical observations. The clinical relevance of the pathways is addressed throughout the text and a chapter is devoted to human white matter diseases. The introductory account gives a detailed historical background. Translations of seminal original observations by early investigators are presented, and when these are considered in the light of the authors' new observations, many longstanding conflicts and debates are resolved.Less

Fiber Pathways of the Brain

Jeremy D. SchmahmannDeepak N. Pandya

Published in print: 2006-04-27

This book studies the organization of the white matter pathways of the brain. The book analyzes and synthesizes the corticocortical and corticosubcortical connections of the major areas of the cerebral cortex in the rhesus monkey. The result is a detailed understanding of the constituents of the cerebral white matter and the organization of the fiber tracts. The findings from the thirty-six cases studied are presented on a single template brain, facilitating comparison of the locations of the different fiber pathways. The summary diagrams provide a comprehensive atlas of the cerebral white matter. The text is enriched by close attention to functional aspects of anatomical observations. The clinical relevance of the pathways is addressed throughout the text and a chapter is devoted to human white matter diseases. The introductory account gives a detailed historical background. Translations of seminal original observations by early investigators are presented, and when these are considered in the light of the authors' new observations, many longstanding conflicts and debates are resolved.

This book provides an atlas of the normal human brain based on three dimensional reconstructions of magnetic resonance scans obtained in normal living adults as well as neurological patients with ...
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This book provides an atlas of the normal human brain based on three dimensional reconstructions of magnetic resonance scans obtained in normal living adults as well as neurological patients with focal brain lesions. It provides detailed descriptions of sulci and gyri and illustrates how they appear in different brains. The book shows how different slice orientations obtained in the same brain produce different images that can be anatomically misinterpreted, in normal brains as well as brains with lesions. The book also addresses quantitative differences between the human brain and the brains of apes; gray and white matter differences between the hemispheres; and differences related to gender, age, and congenital deafness.Less

Human Brain Anatomy in Computerized Images

Hanna Damasio

Published in print: 2005-05-12

This book provides an atlas of the normal human brain based on three dimensional reconstructions of magnetic resonance scans obtained in normal living adults as well as neurological patients with focal brain lesions. It provides detailed descriptions of sulci and gyri and illustrates how they appear in different brains. The book shows how different slice orientations obtained in the same brain produce different images that can be anatomically misinterpreted, in normal brains as well as brains with lesions. The book also addresses quantitative differences between the human brain and the brains of apes; gray and white matter differences between the hemispheres; and differences related to gender, age, and congenital deafness.

This volume provides up-to-date information concerning new applications of brain imaging to the study of Parkinson’s disease (PD). The chapters, written by experts in this field, focus on the various ...
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This volume provides up-to-date information concerning new applications of brain imaging to the study of Parkinson’s disease (PD). The chapters, written by experts in this field, focus on the various imaging methodologies that have recently been used to study the natural history of the disease with emphasis on each of the distinctive clinical features that characterize the disorder (e.g., bradykinesia, rigidity, tremor and gait disturbance). Individual chapters also address the role of imaging in differential diagnosis, and in the evaluation of cognitive dysfunction/dementia in parkinsonian patients. Considerable emphasis is placed on potential applications of neuroimaging in clinical trials to assess new pharmacologic and surgical treatment strategies for PD, including deep brain stimulation (DBS), cell transplantation, and gene therapy. In-depth discussion is provided on advanced imaging applications, including rest-state and activation fMRI, volumetric MR, PET assessment of dopaminergic and cholinergic neurotransmission, and echosonography. Additional topics cover recent developments in the use of brain imaging to assess disease mechanisms including neuroinflammation, protein aggregation, and disordered brain network organization in PD.Less

Imaging in Parkinson’s Disease

David Eidelberg

Published in print: 2011-09-02

This volume provides up-to-date information concerning new applications of brain imaging to the study of Parkinson’s disease (PD). The chapters, written by experts in this field, focus on the various imaging methodologies that have recently been used to study the natural history of the disease with emphasis on each of the distinctive clinical features that characterize the disorder (e.g., bradykinesia, rigidity, tremor and gait disturbance). Individual chapters also address the role of imaging in differential diagnosis, and in the evaluation of cognitive dysfunction/dementia in parkinsonian patients. Considerable emphasis is placed on potential applications of neuroimaging in clinical trials to assess new pharmacologic and surgical treatment strategies for PD, including deep brain stimulation (DBS), cell transplantation, and gene therapy. In-depth discussion is provided on advanced imaging applications, including rest-state and activation fMRI, volumetric MR, PET assessment of dopaminergic and cholinergic neurotransmission, and echosonography. Additional topics cover recent developments in the use of brain imaging to assess disease mechanisms including neuroinflammation, protein aggregation, and disordered brain network organization in PD.

This new edition covers advances in understanding immunological and inflammatory responses in the nervous system, research driven by the potential to use knowledge of the molecules and mechanisms ...
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This new edition covers advances in understanding immunological and inflammatory responses in the nervous system, research driven by the potential to use knowledge of the molecules and mechanisms involved to intervene in, and arrest, neurodegenerative disease processes. This book covers developmental aspects of immune/inflammatory responses in the central nervous system (CNS), basic aspects of glial function, as well as inflammatory mediators, their mechanisms of action, clinical importance, and sites of infection. There is also coverage of the major diseases of the CNS, including stroke, brain injury, multiple sclerosis, and Alzheimer's disease. Throughout, the focus is on the underlying basic neuroscience, clinical relevance, and the potential for therapeutic interventions. The book will be useful for improving the diagnosis of neuroimmune diseases and determining therapeutic measures.Less

Immune and Inflammatory Responses in the Nervous System

Published in print: 2002-10-17

This new edition covers advances in understanding immunological and inflammatory responses in the nervous system, research driven by the potential to use knowledge of the molecules and mechanisms involved to intervene in, and arrest, neurodegenerative disease processes. This book covers developmental aspects of immune/inflammatory responses in the central nervous system (CNS), basic aspects of glial function, as well as inflammatory mediators, their mechanisms of action, clinical importance, and sites of infection. There is also coverage of the major diseases of the CNS, including stroke, brain injury, multiple sclerosis, and Alzheimer's disease. Throughout, the focus is on the underlying basic neuroscience, clinical relevance, and the potential for therapeutic interventions. The book will be useful for improving the diagnosis of neuroimmune diseases and determining therapeutic measures.